Damian Lopez, Moises Corza, Jackson Hollinger and Anton Wodarz scored for the Artesia Bulldogs Thursday night in a home match against the Carlsbad Cavemen.
The Bulldogs won 5-1 over the in-county rivals. Lopez, Corza and Hollinger scored three of the five goals in the first half as Artesia led 3-0.
Artesia got some insurance goals in the second half as Carlsbad scored its lone goal in the second half.
The Bulldogs (10-2) had nine shots on goal and at 3 p.m. Saturday host Los Lunas.
Mike Smith Artesia Daily Press msmith@currentargus.com
The final night of the Red Dirt Black Gold Festival in downtown Artesia was officially rained out but that didn’t dampen the spirits of corn dog vendor Russell Hendricks.
The Roswell resident was getting his “Wiener Wagon” ready for Saturday’s expected throngs of festivalgoers when an afternoon thunderstorm roared through the area, damaging the music festival’s outdoor stage and sound equipment and forcing cancellation of the evening’s scheduled concerts.
“It’s kind of a bummer but at the end of the day we cannot complain about rain around here,” said Hendricks, who plies the corn dog trade at a variety of festivals, carnivals and other events. “It is what is. It’s the life of a carny man.”
Even as the planned concert schedule fell by the wayside, Hendricks and other food vendors remained open to serve festival attendees who were undeterred by the storm and another round of rain later in the day.
Artesia resident Laura Upchurch was waiting in line at the festival site on West Texas Avenue when rain fell for the second time and found shelter nearly two blocks away at the food court of Rebel Daughters BBQ.
And Upchurch managed to score some free corn dogs at the Wiener Wagon.
“They were nice, and they were making a few corn dogs for my son and I because we were looking forward to the corn dogs. But then they were closing up and heading out,” she said.
The musicians whose concerts were called off could have headed out but didn’t. Clayton Runner, Hooks and the Huckleberries, Kenny Fielder, and Cody Canada and the Departed all stuck around and provided acoustic versions of their acts inside the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center at 310 W. Main St.
“I was pretty bummed about not being able to play full band, but the acoustic set in the theater was a ton of fun,” Canada said. “Hopefully we will get to come back.”
Saturday’s storm dumped more than an inch of rain in an hour’s time and was punctuated by a 52 mile-per-hour wind gust, according to Rick Hluchan of the National Weather Service in Midland, Texas.
Hluchan said flooding was reported along the Eagle Draw flood channel near downtown Artesia, on Bolton Road east of Artesia and in arroyos around U.S. highway 285 between Artesia and Carlsbad. He said the second round of rain arrived around 6 p.m. and dropped just two-hundredths of an inch at Artesia Municipal Airport. No strong winds were reported.
The bad weather on Saturday was a disappointment after near-perfect conditions prevailed over the festival’s first two days.
“Last night (Friday) was fantastic,” Hendricks said. “The music has been really good, people have been really, really good and we’ve had an awesome time.”
Luke Burns, communications coordinator for the city of Artesia’s finance and administration department, praised festival organizers for the way they coped with the weather problem.
“The weather we got on Saturday was unfortunate,” Burns said. “However, we’re grateful for the organizers who came together and were still able to offer a night of music at the Ocotillo. It wasn’t plan A, but it was better than having no music at all … Artesia is blessed to have such a dedicated team to put on an event this big every year.”
Despite the rain, Burns said, “we still had fun and we’re excited to see how the festival continues to grow going forward.”
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 extension-2361.
National Dance Institute (NDI) New Mexico today announced its Residency Dance Program for Artesia fourth graders from Central, Hermosa, Roselawn, Yeso, and Yucca Elementary Schools, as well as kindergarteners from Grand Heights Early Childhood Center and fifth graders from NDI New Mexico SWAT teams. The two-week program, which runs September 22–October 3, will culminate in a live performance of “Route 66: Celebrating 100 Years!” on October 3.
In addition to providing a creative and celebratory community event, the Residency Program will offer NDI New Mexico’s highly effective teaching methodology that incorporates dance instruction with live musical accompaniment and emphasizes social-emotional skills such as teamwork, self-confidence, and self-discipline that are critical to children’s long-term development.
NDI New Mexico’s highly effective teaching methodology that incorporates dance instruction with live musical accompaniment and emphasizes social-emotional skills such as teamwork, self-confidence, and self-discipline that are critical to children’s long-term development.
“NDI New Mexico is back in Artesia for our twentieth year with our annual Residency Program,” said NDI New Mexico Residency Artistic Director Lauren O’Brien. “This year’s performance of Route 66: Celebrating 100 Years! will feature over 360 fourth-grade students, kindergarteners, and fifth graders. We invite all to come out and celebrate these incredible students and their hard work.”
The live performance will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 3 at the Estelle H Yates Auditorium, located at 215 S 15th Street in Artesia. The performance is free and open to the public.
The Residency Program in Artesia is made possible by support from the New Mexico Department of Health, PY Foundation, ConocoPhillips, Written in Red Foundation, and the New Mexico Department of Tourism.
NDI New Mexico’s Residency Programs bring NDI New Mexico experiences of music and dance to children in 19 rural and urban communities across the state of New Mexico. The program provides a certified NDI New Mexico instructor and pianist to teach dance as part of each school’s curriculum for children ages 5-13.
Standing in a hangar at the National Championship Air Races, Scott Saddlemire watched as his son Joshua prepared his red and white airplane “Red Zeppelin” for its race in the Biplane Class competition, which was starting just a few minutes later.
“He’s a rookie,” Scott said of his son. “This is his first year.”
He said they came to Roswell from Lake Arrowhead, California.
Scott explained that each plane must have the same displacement of the engine, fixed propellers, fixed wings, fixed pitch and fixed landing gear.
“Most of the planes here are Pitts,” he said, referring to the manufacturer.
Crew member Rachel Nolan said Joshua Saddlemire wanted to race a couple of years ago but it didn’t work out.
“Now here we are,” Nolan said. “I was very excited when I learned they had picked New Mexico, I haven’t been here very much.”
She was very complimentary of the venue and the local people.
“It works for this, I mean, there’s so much area, we’re close to the runway and it’s just flat so you can see the whole area,” she said.
Nolan said in Reno, if you had to be stuck in the pits working on something, you could not see the race due to the hills.
Joshua, who is a pilot for United Airlines, said he was glad to be in Roswell. He bought his airplane about three years ago, but this was the first time he will be competing in it.
He did not seem at all anxious about flying in his first race.
“Everybody’s happy,” he said.
A few moments later, they began towing #831 plane out into the New Mexico sun and then on to the ramp for the race.
In the next hangar, Chet Harris was preparing his shiny white airplane for the Formula 1 races, which would follow the Biplane Class race. The name of the airplane is “Ought Not” and its number is #00.
He explained that much like the Biplane Class, many aspects of the plane were regulated, such as the size of the engine, the length and width of the wings and how the engine is carbureted. He said his class of airplane was fun to fly and the competition could get intense. He talked about a race last year when there were five airplanes stacked one above the other at the finish.
“I could look up and see a plane and look down and see another one, that was really exciting,” Harris said.
Nearby, Michael Langston, also a Formula 1 pilot, said he had high expectations for Harris in the race.
“He’s going to win,” Langston predicted.
Harris’s team had a table nearby with some stickers and curios as well as a plaque for “Team of the Year” which his team won last year in Reno.
“It’s a very big deal because it honors the crew chief, the crew and everyone involved,” Harris said.
Artesia’s Estrella Gutierrez played on the STING WXT travel team that won the u 16 NPL Nationals
Artesia junior defender soccer player Estrella Gutierrez played a lot of sport this summer.
She traveled to Denver and Minnesota for two weeks to compete in the US Club Soccer NPL U16 Finals in Commerce City, Colo.
Gutierrez also played in the Target USA Cup in Blaine, Minn. with her travel team, Select Chicas 08/09G.
Gutierrez said it was an amazing experience getting to play for the second consecutive year against elite competition.
She added her goal is to play in college and this experience is what playing in college would be like and wants to use her experience to help strengthen the Lady Bulldog soccer team.
JT Keith| Artesia Daily Press
Artesia junior forward Estrella Gutierrez played on the Sting WTX that won the U 16 NPL Nationals.
“Not very many players have had this type of opportunity,” Gutierrez said. “I want to share the many different skills and tips I learned with my teammates and coaches and become more of a leader.”
In the NPL U16 finals in Commerce City, Gutierrez played for Sting WTX Olivarez 09G, based out of Lubbock.
They played in the Red River NPL League in Dallas and took first place in the 2024-25 season, qualifying for nationals. There were 16 teams in their age group from Florida, New Jersey and California.
The Chicas are a U17 Select team from Anchorage Ala., coached by Steve Day. The team includes girls from Alaska, of course, but also welcomes girls from across the country who play competitive soccer and have hopes of playing in college. It gives them exposure in most major showcases across the United States.
The Target USA Cup is the largest youth soccer tournament in the US with more than 1,200 teams from 17 countries.
Gutierrez said that playing in the Nationals is tougher than playing in high school because some girls from other countries are bigger and faster than some of the girls in high school.
“Playing in the USA Cup helps me to be able to play against all types of players,” Gutierrez said, “from all around the world. Not knowing any of the girls on the team, helps you.”
By playing in club and for the national team, Gutierrez said that it will help her know what to do on the field during games and how to create plays.
“I would like be a better teammate this year,” Gutierrez said. “I would like to score and give more assist.”
More than 50 volunteers gathered at the Green Chile Cafe at Artesia General Hospital Thursday morning to help non-profit organizations with a variety of projects.
“In many ways, Day of Caring really represents everything that the United Way of Eddy County stands for,” said Kyle Marksteiner, executive director of the United Way of Eddy County. “It’s a highly collaborative effort with a focus on successfully completing projects. We get the jobs done.”
Artesia General Hospital provided meals for volunteers.
Volunteers gather outside of Artesia General Hospital before heading out into the community for United Way’s Dar of Caring.
Employees from CVE, Royal Services and New Mexico District Legislative Aid Morgan Fox gathered at Haven of Hope in Artesia to help with projects during Day of Caring.
Raelynn Bean from CVE (left) and Elisa Malone from Royal Services clean out a storage room at Haven of Hope.
Morgan Fox moved a box of decorations during United Way’s Day of Caring in Artesia.
Information and photo provided by Southeast New Mexico College
Southeast New Mexico College is excited to announce that Zaida Hernández, a Latina space engineer and children’s book author, will be joining us as a guest speaker on Sept. 24, from noon to 1:00 p.m. The event is completely free and open to the public.
Zaida currently works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she helps design lunar architecture as part of NASA’s efforts to send humans back to the moon. She earned both her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston and proudly became the first engineer in her family.
Not only is she an engineer, but she’s also a passionate advocate for STEM education and a children’s book author. Her latest book, “Luz Lucero, Niña Astronauta (Kid Astronaut),” encourages kids especially those from underrepresented communities to see themselves in space and science.
Known on social media as “The Space Latina,” Zaida shares scholarships, internships, and STEM opportunities, while also opening up about her journey as a Latina woman in engineering. Her goal is simple: to show young people that space is not just for astronauts it’s for everyone.
“We are honored to welcome Zaida to Southeast New Mexico College,” said Erick Dominguez, STEM Program Manager. “Zaida’s journey shows our students that the sky is not the limit it’s just the beginning. Her story proves that with dedication and resilience, anyone can reach for the stars. Having her with us is a reminder that representation matters and that our students can see themselves as the future of STEM.”
This event is part of SENMC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and highlights the college’s commitment to showcasing diverse voices in STEM. Everyone is invited students, families, and anyone who wants to hear an incredible story about perseverance, culture, and the future of space exploration.
The Gadsden Panthers football team will entertain the No.1 team in District 4-4A, the Artesia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are coming off a professional win over Deming 41-14, and the Panthers off a 42-21 victory over Mayfield for the second consecutive season. Friday night’s game brings district championship implications.
This is the second time in consecutive seasons the Panthers have started 4-0 and played the Bulldogs. In 2024, the game turned into a shootout with Artesia winning 57-38. Gadsden ran 90 offensive plays to the ‘Dogs’ 53 plays. The Panthers outgained the Bulldogs in yardage 485-483, as Artesia quarterback Izac Cazares threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns, and running back Frankie Galindo rushed for 111 yards.
3 Keys
For Gadsden to win, coach Dino Facio Jr. said that it is about his Panthers controlling the ball on offense. “Artesia is known for having a high-powered offense, and we want to keep the ball in our hands.”
Facio said they have to create turnover and play brilliant, physical football. In last year’s game, Artesia’s Bryce Parra and Frankie Galindo both lost fumbles.
“Artesia does not do a lot of crazy stuff,” Facio said. “But what they do, they do well. We have to be disciplined and play hard.”
Facio said that it is about a four-hour drive from Artesia to Anthony, where Gadsden is located. He also said that he knew when Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin took over, it was only a matter of time before he started stacking up state championships.
“Coach Maupin is one of the brightest minds in our state,” Facio said. “We love having him in 5A, and we have to be on our toes. I noticed that against Deming, he went for it a couple of times on fourth down from their own 10-yard line. He is not afraid, and that makes for good football. I am not surprised by the success, and the continued tradition is what he is upholding with Artesia now. He’s a great dude, and he and his staff are like Cooper Henderson, class acts. We really appreciate those guys, and when they come down here, they enjoy the hospitality that Gadsden has to offer.”
Artesia running back Bryce Parra tries to run around Deming cornerback Jesse Marrufo in a Bulldogs 41-14 win at War Memorial Stadium on Friday night. Provided | Marshall Mecham
Last year’s game
Things are a lot different this year for the Panthers because, according to Gadsden coach Dino Facio Jr., he is really young in the skill positions after losing quarterback Adrian Munoz, who threw for 264 yards and ran for a touchdown. He also threw three interceptions to the Bulldogs. Running back Alfredo Andrade, who ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns, has graduated.
“I have somewhat of a young team, and I don’t take wins for granted,” Facio said. “Artesia has the bullseye on them every year from a lot of teams.”
Last year was the first meeting between the two teams, according to Facio. He said that he was really pleased with how his team responded playing in the Bulldog environment, which he had never been to before.
Facio said that a couple of things didn’t go their way, and they must be on their A game when playing a team like Artesia. After the Bulldog game, Facio said that his team got better and made a run in the playoffs before losing 49-21 to Roswell in the semifinals of the state playoffs.
The key to the season for Gadsden is being able to stay healthy, Facio said. The team will start Ethan Morales at quarterback, who in four games has completed 24 of 40 passes for 511 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 122.9. He has run the ball 18 times for 101 yards.
This year’s team
“Once again,” Facio said, “that depth is pretty young after the starting group. The injury bug hits everybody, I am sure, and that is its own obstacle. If we can continue to stay healthy, we will be all right. I have been really pleased with our play in the secondary and skilled guys on the offensive side of the ball.”
The running game is led by senior running back Juan Rios, who has carried the ball 50 times for 425 yards and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Sophomore Deion Torres has carried the ball 30 times for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He is joined by Armando Ramirez, who has carried the rock 22 times for 128 yards and scored four touchdowns.
History and belief
Facio said that when he took the job, people did not believe that Gadsden could play football, and with him coming from Las Cruces, he said that people did not recognize that Gadsden had won championships and was one of the last teams to win three straight championships (53,54, and 55).
“It was a rich history that no one really paid attention to,” Facio said. “We just wanted our boys and our community to know that this place (Gadsden) has won and can win.”
Since taking over in 2018, Facio said that he and his staff have always talked about winning the state championship in 5A. He knows that to do that, he must beat Roswell, Goddard, and Artesia to hoist the blue trophy.
“Those teams are the measuring stick for where we want to be,” Facio said. “We know that that is what is going to take to beat them. Putting them on the schedule has been one of the best things for our program, because it gives us a chance to go and compete with the best and tells us where we are as a program too.”
While enjoying lunch last Wednesday a lunchmate looked up from his phone to tell us Charlie Kirk had been shot.
For the next hour or so I held my breath praying the 31-year-old family man and father of two would not die, that doctors would save him from what I hoped was a non-fatal wound.
My stomach fell when I learned he had died.
A week later, I am still struggling to make sense of the killing of Charlie Kirk and what his complicated legacy means to me and to this country.
I was not a regular follower of his podcasts and only saw excerpts of his squaring off against ideological and political opponents on social media. He did not interest me beyond how he and his organization, Turning Point USA, helped Donald Trump win a second term in the White House. He was too much of a gleeful provocateur reveling in the pugilism his controversial opinions triggered rather than a deliberative, substantive presence who appealed to the better angels of our nature.
And yet a week after his death I feel great sorrow for him, his widow and the children who will grow up without a father. As a parent, I cannot imagine what his mother and father are enduring.
I also fear what his death could trigger across the nation.
The writer David Simon, one half of the brainchild of the HBO show The Wire, summed up my trepidation well a few hours after Kirk’s murder.
“Reading much tonight on Charlie Kirk, who he was, what he said and believed — from both admirers and those deeply opposed. It does not matter. None of it. What matters is that political violence made routine against any voice, left or right, marks us as a failing, dying republic. This is horror.”
Our nation already was polarized. It seems to have only gotten worse since his death. All I have to do is watch my social media feeds to see how last week’s killing has tapped into the deep divisions within our nation.
Some friends have lamented Kirk’s murder as the targeting of a man of God who respectfully debated ideas and political stances with opponents and “shared the gospel of Jesus Christ,” as several friends put it. These friends are pushing a narrative of Kirk as a noble advocate who was killed for trumpeting conservative principles and are lionizing him as a “Christian” martyr who proselytized his particular version of Christianity.
Other friends have pointed to Kirk’s racial bigotry — he demeaned the intelligence of Black women, questioned the credentials of Black airline pilots and said Jews were fueling a campaign of anti-White sentiments — as well as his transphobia. He dismissed empathy as a “made-up New Age term” and argued for the resumption of public executions and suggested children of a certain age should witness them.
In death, Charlie Kirk has become a Rorschach test for Americans.
I refuse to play into that easy either-or binary. Both things can be true at once — Charlie Kirk was a bigot and misogynist at the same time that he was a family man who, I’ve read, could charm even his political adversaries.
Like all human beings, Charlie Kirk was complicated.
He and his family deserve our empathy, as do other victims of political violence such as Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives in Minnesota, and her husband, who were assassinated this June at their home.
At the moment it is difficult not to feel like most Americans are leaning in on the ideological name calling and heating up their rhetoric and I am among a distinct minority who want to preserve a space where Americans can disagree agreeably without fear of being shot.
I know that is fear speaking. It’s easy to feel vulnerable in today’s United States. But I have to remember that loudness does not always equate to numbers. I suspect many millions of Americans feel the same way I do.
As I ponder whether this country will teeter over the precipice into political violence, the writer John Ganz has captured my sentiments a week removed from Charlie Kirk’s death.
“I didn’t passionately hate him, but neither did I admire him. Yes, he had a family and friends who loved him, but so do untold numbers of men, women, and children being sacrificed as I write to various political machinations in Gaza, in Sudan, and in the Congo. The emotions I felt upon his death were fear and pity for the future of the country.”
Since 2005, Trip has covered politics and state government for the Albuquerque Journal, The New Mexico Independent and the Santa Fe New Mexican. In 2012, he co-founded New Mexico In Depth, a nonpartisan, nonprofit media outlet that produces investigative, data-rich stories with an eye on solutions that can be a catalyst for change.
When Artesia holds its annual hot-air balloon festival this fall, some earthbound vehicles will go along for the ride.
City councilors voted at their Sept. 9 meeting to approve a request by the Chamber of Commerce to let Airstream travel trailer enthusiasts piggyback on the popular Balloons and Tunes event with an Airstream Rally at Artesia’s Heritage Park.
Dates have not been set for this year’s Balloons and Tunes but the annual event is traditionally held the first weekend in November at Eagle Draw. The festival features hot-air balloons dancing in the skies over Artesia while festivalgoers enjoy concerts and other activities on the ground.
Artesia Chamber spokesperson Jessica Bollema said local aficionados of Airstream, an iconic brand of travel trailers and recreational vehicles, asked to host an event at a more appealing venue than a campground or RV park.
“Instead of KOAs, campgrounds, or RV parks they are wanting to do something downtown,” Bollema said. “They will be at Heritage Plaza and participate in all the things Artesia has going on with the balloons.”
In other business, councilors discussed a proposed five-year plan to increase the solid waste, water and sewer utility rates. District 3 Councilor/Mayor Pro-tem Jeff Youtsey said rates have remained the same since 2016. He said proposed new rates are still being discussed and will be brought to the council for a vote at a future meeting.
Youtsey also reported on a recent town hall meeting where city officials discussed the possibility of allowing off-road or all-terrain vehicles on Artesia city streets. Under New Mexico state law, he said, municipalities can legalize the vehicles on roadways by passing an ordinance to specify safety requirements and other protocol.
“We had a good exchange. There’s still some angst about it and there will be more to come on that,” Youtsey said.
Youtsey also reported that city staff had used the city’s new telehealth system twice since it was installed on July 1. Both calls, he said, would have involved emergency room visits if care had not been provided virtually.
The line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Youtsey said, offering case management and medical referrals in English and Spanish.
“We pay $4,000 a year for the service. It has already paid for itself,” he said. “Our admin can access the system and download cases and education materials.”
